The Friends & Members of 750 Words

1 cup

I was going to join the August challenge to write for a whole month but I saw if you don’t complete it, you are put on the wall of shame. As someone that has a lot of self imposed shame and guilt due to anxiety, I would love to see the name have an optimistic spin. For example. Wall of Room to Grow or Opportunity to Grow or Room or Opportunity to Improve. Practice encouragement not judgment for yourself and others. : )

5 cups

Shame isn’t a word that anyone should have to use against themselves. 750words.com is a hugely motivating site, and the monthly challenges are a massive part of this. The motivation to keep writing daily is really good for my ADHD brain, and it allows me to process my emotions and heal the many wounds that a lifetime of undiagnosed ADHD has left me with.

One of those wounds is a lot of shame at my ‘failings’. Being added to a ‘wall of shame’ in the space where I am trying to unpack and heal my shame is not particularly helpful.

there could be all sorts of reasons why a person might have to miss a day of writing. Shaming them for this is unnecessary and can feel cruel and demotivating. There are many other words you could use, or people could just be removed from the writers list without needing to list the people who have missed a day at all

1 cup

Yes I have to confess, I am addicted to the badges. It would be nice to have a double nanono badge for those who write one hundred thousand words in a month. I might have the word “PHEW!” as part of the design. :)

1 cup

I have done this enough now that I feel the effect of the words on the page. When I sit at the keyboard every morning to do 750 Words, something in me settles down at least as much as if I did some sort of meditation.
Even if all I do is write jibberish, it still has a good effect and I have a sense of momentum for the day because I accomplished something first thing in the morning.
Thank you for developing this site.

1 cup

750 words has become a happy place for me to get the unhappy, not-so-pretty parts of myself see the light of day. I have greater peace on the other side of sharing these ugly parts of myself in a safe place, and getting to meet these places in myself I’ve avoided for so long.

1 cup

750 words has helped learn to express myself better.

40 cups

I happily read every new note posted by someone in our little community and draw inspiration from their stories and accomplishments, but I very rarely speak up here myself. I confess I’ve been hoarding all my cups for some time – stashing them away like pocket change in a jar until I had some momentous writing milestone on which to spend them all, or some truly profound piece of encouragement to share. Well, now I have one of the two, at least: at long, long last, I have finally succeeded in capturing the fiery Phoenix for myself.

Compared to those awe-inspiring creatures of myth and legend, the Great Griffins, this doesn’t feel like such a terribly impressive accomplishment. What’s a measly hundred day streak compared to soaring so high into the heavens? For me one hundred days has been a tremendous feat of endurance and personal will, though. I have tried many times during my patronage of 750 Words and never gotten beyond the Albatross, all my best intentions notwithstanding. The wide, lonely void between Albatross and Phoenix defeated me every single time, and I always felt so drained afterwards that it would sometimes take me weeks to muster the motivation for another attempt.

When quarantine struck so unexpectedly, though, I decided the Phoenix was the one and only thing I truly wanted out of this surreal experience we’re all stumbling through. And I have learned in the past hundred days that I have it in me to come to work every day for myself, to be accountable to this habit I’m building. To sweat and struggle on even when my personal muse is off wandering somewhere in the wastelands of Siberia – perhaps never to return. Or when there’s some alluring new series on TV. Or when a friend sends me a string of funny GIFs. Or when I’m absolutely convinced that everything I ever have or ever will write is utter trash. I’ve proven to myself that I can show up and plant my butt in the seat and my hands on the keyboard day after day. I can get it done. And if you’re reading this and doubting yourself, I know you can, too.

I read somewhere recently that you can never expect another person to care about your writing habits and goals more than you do yourself. As logical as this is, it was mind-bending for me, and a lesson I don’t think I’d fully grasped until now. If I can’t or won’t make my own writing practice a priority, why would I reasonably expect anyone else to do back flips for me?

So. Onward and upward to the Pterodactyl, I dearly hope. If I fall off my perch now, I admit the landing back to solid earth will bruise me. I’ll lose a disheartening number of feathers on the way down and probably sprain a wing – but at least I will have made it this far. And I know I can put myself back together and do it all again. The proof is right there on my stats page, after all. Staring me in the face. Demanding that I reach for even loftier goals next time.

Off with all of you who might be reading this. Dig deep. Soar high. Sweat. Curse. Weep. Persevere. Get those words down today, and tomorrow, and the next day. Do whatever it takes. Remember that you deserve your daily writing habit. Yes, you.

And yes – I am shamelessly counting this rambling testimonial note as part of my quota for the day. So get on with it. Happy word slinging, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s do hard things together.

1 cup

There were days that writing seemed ‘too tiring’ – but I really wanted to get that streak – to prove to myself that I could have accountability and that ’I’m tired’, ’ I’m stressed’ didn’t have to be reasons not to do something. Ironically, it’s on those days where I said “just get it out” that I wrote more in a shorter time. This has now become my go-to, a ritual to check in with myself and see what wants to come out.

5 cups

In high school, I used to fall into my own daydreams and stories for hours and hours on end. I used to think that writing them down would help get out my ideas and help me get out of the house and my life back on track… but then I would sit there and piddle for hours and hours accomplishing very little (not even 750 words). After college, I finally realized that I was suffering from maladaptive daydreaming as a coping mechanism for depression and lack of fulfillment from my life.

750 words has helped me focus, get out words in a timely manner, and once I complete my 750 for the day, move on to making positive changes in my life while keeping the creative spirit.

Thank you 750 for refocusing me and my stories. With making positive changes in my life and seeking out new opportunities, my writing has also improved, and my new stories are much better than they were before. (It’s pretty easy to top sad, lonely, depressed teen writing.)

Thanks 750!

1 cup

I haven’t used this in ages (sorry!) but it really helped me get into a morning pages habit years ago. Glad to see it’s still going strong and keep up the good work <3

1 cup

I’d like to see more badges in general, but specifically, I think temporary badges (such as seasonal challenges) would be a fun addition instead of all challenges being consistent throughout the year

1 cup

Just an option to toggle the footer on or off; constantly seeing the number of words I’ve written so far is a little distracting!

1 cup

I’m new but inspired! I love the way this encourages you to quickly develop positive routines and habits and reinforces them with self-satisfying awards. I thrive by reaching goals, and so the excuses of “not having enough time” fly out the window when you are a trying to reach that next goal in the journey. 18 days and not one missed yet! Thanks for getting me back to what I love. Writing!

5 cups

I haven’t written my 750 word entrees in months, so I have made a donation to the site today to correct this matter. You guys are doing a great job keeping the site going, thanks for your patience with us procrastinators.

1 cup

In journalling in the morning, i ask myself questions that I then answer. Often, I write out the questions first and then type my answers one by one. It would be really nice if I could make the questions bold, so I can navigate the text more easily. When I think of it, I long for Notion style toggles where I can “hide” text inside of buckets so as to fully focus on one question in front of me. When I write I often have the impulse to make one line in my text bold with 2 asterix but that doesn’t work.
Thanks for reading this <3

1 cup

I have been here since 2012 – though on an off, between schooling and now into ‘adulthood" – I am here – to exist. And I would say 750 words in so many ways has saved me, and so many others. I couldn’t behind to tell you how many I have told about this kind of work. I am truly.. grateful.

1 cup

I first started using this site in June of 2010. Three years later, separated from my husband of twenty years and on my way to a divorce I hadn’t asked for, I started using it regularly. On the last day of 2019, I hit 2 million words. I can hardly believe that’s true. But I’ve always been deeply committed to writing, and this site has helped me carry out that commitment. I’ve vented, blathered, written poetry, drafted stories and essays, made lists, saved quotes. It’s all here. Thank you, Kellianne and Buster, for creating this site, thank you so much.

100 cups

The effect of 750 Words in my life has been little short of magical!
I started writing on these pages in 2011 and had little expectation of persisting with the practice. That after all, was how most of my good intentions finished up: sputtering out like a damp squib. But it didn’t happen with this site and I have to attribute my persistence to the very clever little incentives that Buster and Kerrianne built into this site: the badges to recognize progress and persistence, the regular lists of people writing this month, and the monthly challenges. Then there are the ‘Stats’ and the fascinating analyses of mood, dominant theme, and the regular daily nudge arriving in one’s inbox every evening.
I have always found Kellianne most forthcoming and helpful on the numerous times I have either had to take time off or on those occasions when either my laptop or router has gone caput and I have been unable to maintain my streak.
It remains a mystery to me how Buster and Kellianne manage to maintain a site of growing complexity and increasing membership.
The cherry on the cake is that I have now completed a total of 4 million words since I started and if I live long enough, look forward to adding another four million!
Thank you, Buster and Kellianne for creating and maintaining this site. It has become my regular daily habit and has taught me how to love the craft of writing words!

1 cup

I’m still new to the site, having joined at the end of May. Just wanted to say how glad I am to have made the discovery. It’s given me stability and focus in these still-uncertain times. Thanks.

1 cup

I’m doing it again! You folks have me all verklempt. I totally appreciate what you do by providing this site to people like me who need the sunny pleasant glow of the empty screen with little squares at the top to show us what we’ve done with our time this month. I have no idea why, but it seems to make me at least try to write. Bless you.

10 cups

I have been consistently inconsistent in writing here over the last few years with the exception of writing during a challenge month; the monthly challenges are a great tool to make me sit down and pour out “my words” and clear my head. Some days it’s a form of prayer, some days a meditation, some days just ordinary kvetching. It has also given me hope that, when I least expect it, I can produce some written thoughts that are meaningful, if only to me. Thanks for this site. It’s important to me and many others.

50 cups

I have just hit 1350 days of writing and more than 1.1 million words in total. The site does a great job of keeping me motivated with badges and metadata analysis. My mind is clearer and my ability to express myself has also improved greatly.

1 cup

An iPhone app would be amazing! Having a very old MacBook, sometimes my computer doesn’t load very quickly and the WiFi is unstable at our house, so I’ve had to go elsewhere to finish my writing before. Which I don’t mind, but during these COVID times, not a lot of coffee shops are open and I’d like to feel safe while I pour my soul out into my writing. Of course, I like typing on my computer much better, but I’ll do whatever it takes to hit my 750 words each day!

1 cup

I love earning badges! I’d love to suggest more badges for writing a certain amount of words. Maybe a badge for completing your writing in a certain amount of time. And some fun badges would be awesome, too.

1 cup

750 words helps me maintain perseverance in writing tasks.

1 cup

750 Words has given me the opportunity to reflect during this difficult and potentially transformative time. Sometimes, I use the daily writing as a record of events taking place in my city and country as well as the world—first with COVID-19 hitting us and the lockdown and then the protests. I’ve also periodically started my writing with things I am grateful for as an intentional way to stay focused and more resilient. I also use the writing to work out ideas, to think about the role I can play in my society to make it more just and equitable and safe for everyone. And, sometimes, I write what I remember—stories from and about my Mom, things about my grandma, who I never met, that I was told over the years, memories of spending time with my godson (he’s going to college in the fall!), memories of places I’ve visited (I work internationally) and specific details about things I’ve done, places I stayed, streets I walked on, things I saw, food I ate, thoughts and feelings I had. It’s amazing to think that in a relatively short period of time, I’ve established this collection of thoughts and feelings, of memories, of history in the making, of daily life, of wishes and hopes. Thank you for creating this space. I don’t share my writing, but I know that I am part of a community, and I so appreciate it!